


we are the best!

by irlenolacroix



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: AU, BB-8 IS A CAT, Established Relationship, Gen, M/M, Modern AU, Other, Please Don't Take This Seriously, Rock Band AU, Stormpilot mentioned, band au, band competition, this was a joke that me and my friend got really into
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 20:11:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9012466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irlenolacroix/pseuds/irlenolacroix
Summary: In which Rey, Finn, and Poe are in a rock band competing at the annual band competition against--who else?--a screamo outfit called the First Order.AKA please don't take this seriously, it started as a joke and I got really invested.Gift for my lovely friend Rey!!!! Love you, dork.The song is "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a gift for my lovely friend Rey!!!  
> Please don't take this too seriously, it was a joke that Rey and I got really invested in ^^"

_Tcsh-tcsh-tcsh-tcsh._

 

The sound rang through the basement of Rey Skywalker’s home as a drumstick tapped at a cymbal, gently, just enough to make it make that metallic noise that kept the song’s beat along with the kick drum that was _pmm-pmm-pmm-pmm_ -ing in sync with the metallic hiss of the cymbal. Both of these instruments were powered by a young man with dark eyes and a brown leather jacket that he hadn’t seemed to take off for months. The young man’s eyes were narrowed with concentration, knowing that even the slightest wandering of his thoughts could get him out of the zone, even though he still found himself looking, mid-song, over at his bandmates despite this. 

 

That man was named Finn, and as he found himself nearing the end of the song, a small grin broke onto his face, and he closed his eyes, feeling each pound of the beat in his throat, in his heart.

 

The final chord of the song played and when Finn opened his eyes his two bandmates stood beside him, grinning, looking at each other, and then at Finn. For a few moments, no one said anything. The silence had enough to say. There were ten seconds of excited quiet.

 

“Guys,” said the man with the guitar and the black curls of hair falling across his forehead, “we are going to absolutely fuckin’ kick the First Order’s ass.”

 

The young man that had spoken was Poe Dameron, guitarist and lead singer of local (read: among Rey’s family) rock sensation, Resistance Space. The band had been his idea, and of course, the two people in the basement with him had been crazy enough to go along with it. The young woman beside him was the woman of the house; Rey Skywalker, the up-and-coming bassist with a passion for hugging and, apparently, fencing. (This had only been discovered when she was around eight years old and was found thwacking a boy who had been rude to her with a stick. Instead of getting angry, her father simply enrolled her in fencing lessons, and she could now probably kick anyone’s ass in a matter of minutes, despite being one of the nicest people either of her bandmates had ever known.) And, of course, there was Finn, looking up at the two others with a smile that could have replaced the sun had the world ever needed it to.

 

“Poe’s right.” That was Rey talking, her eyes wide with excitement as she nudged Poe, who nudged her back in response with a chuckle added on. “They won’t know what hit them! Finn, your solo was fantastic, by the way. The way you just--” She took the immediate opportunity to imitate her friend’s drumming, the smile on her face widening as she flicked her wrists up and down like she had traded places with her friend. “They’re gonna freak out! Guys! We’ve got this! No doubt!”

 

“You think so?” Finn took the opportunity to stand up and look at the other two. The excitement on their faces was mirrored in his own expression.

 

“Uh, we _know_ so, buddy.” Poe was absolutely beaming as he clapped Finn on the shoulder. “Rey’s right; you were killing it. There is no way in hell their emo-ass My Chemical Romance type group is gonna beat us. We’re the best there’s ever been.”

 

“They” were the First Order, and the event Poe was referring to would be taking place the next night, 9:30 PM, at the D’Qar Tavern. “Band Wars”, they called it. It was an annual event at the tavern that ended each year with one victorious local band going home with $1,000 and, more importantly, bragging rights. Resistance Space had never competed, but the soon-to-be band had attended the year before, when the First Order revealed themselves in all their Black Parade-esque aura. The lead singer of the group had decided on the stage name Kylo Ren (a name almost as emo as his obviously dyed pitch-colored hair), and he also happened to be Rey’s much-loathed cousin. He was joined by two fellow band members who only called themselves Phasma and Hux, and according to pretty much every member of Resistance Space, their music was almost as shitty as their personalities.

 

They had lost last year, and apparently they were back for “revenge”. And Resistance Space was beyond ready to show them what music _really_ was.

 

But that would be tomorrow night. For now, all they could do was practice. (And, okay--maybe make fun of the First Order a little.)

 

Poe gave his two bandmates one more encouraging glance before looking over at the clock on the far wall. “Ten-thirty. You guys think we have time for one more round’a that one?”

 

“Poe, we’ve done it nearly ten times already. You said it yourself--we’re going to kick their collective ass.” That was Rey, who had gone over to the small couch near the back of the basement to pet the cat that was curled up there. The cat stretched out his front paws at the feeling and opened one green eye to look at the young woman, soon sitting up to push his head into her hand, craving more affection. Said affection-giver laughed before saying, “Come on. Even Bee-Bee says we should rest. Come pet your cat with me.”

 

Poe let out a slight sigh, glancing over at Finn, silently asking for the opinion of the other young man. The drummer cracked a smile. “Bee-Bee knows best, Poe.”

 

Poe let out a breath, but his mouth was turning upward into a characteristic Poe smile, nudging Finn with his shoulder. “Okay, okay. Good work today, guys. Who’s ready to kick ass tomorrow??”

 

“I am!” called Rey from the couch, raising her left arm above her head and sticking a peace sign in the air. Bee-Bee meowed loudly along with her, as if he, too, would also be interested in kicking ass.

 

Poe chuckled and glanced over at Finn. “What about you, buddy?”

 

“You know I’m ready.” Finn was beaming, and his hand had found itself touching Poe’s. “Always ready to piss off the First Order. We’re gonna do so good, I know we are, Poe.”

 

Poe found himself biting his lower lip as the other young man spoke. “You,” he said, swinging an arm around Finn’s shoulders in a way that only knocked him slightly off-balance, “are so cute when you’re excited.”

 

Finn smiled and glanced away at that before turning back towards the other. “Am I? Heh, you’re not too bad yourself, y’know.”

 

“I’d sure hope not.” Poe was grinning, and he pressed a chaste kiss to his boyfriend’s lips before saying, “But I hope you don’t just love me for my dashing good looks.”

 

“Of course not. But y’know, they really are dashing.” Finn winked and couldn’t hold back his giggle.

 

“Ugh, you guys are GROSS!” Rey’s call from the couch split the boyfriends of several months apart, as well as causing Bee-Bee to hop to the floor at the volume of it. The two young men turned to their friend, who, despite her tone, was smiling in a way that cemented her as obviously being in support of the union. “You can’t have PDA like that onstage, you hear? Don’t need the audience vomiting all over the floor because of how god damn sweet you are to each other.”

 

“Sorry.” Finn was sheepish, but smiling, and he went over to the couch to sit beside Rey, who elbowed him lightly in his upper arm upon his arrival. Poe came soon after, plopping himself down on the other side of Finn, looking at the two others. Bee-Bee recovered from his shock and hopped onto Poe’s lap before climbing into Finn’s, staying in the middle of the three in order to optimize the amount of affection given to him. (The band had almost been named after Bee-Bee, but Rey’s uncle Han had put down the idea as soon as he overheard the three of them discussing it, saying it was too similar to “those damn Bee Gees”. People had since wondered why he had such intense hatred for the Bee Gees, but knowing Han, it was probably better not to ask.)

 

“Just don’t make out onstage,” Rey said with a chuckle, to which Poe raised his eyebrows and was subsequently shoved by Finn’s shoulder before he could make any suggestive comments.

 

“We won’t,” said Finn, looking at his best friend, then at his boyfriend. “Promise it. Poe, you promise not to make out with me onstage?”

 

“I’ll do my damn best to restrain myself.” Poe was blushing a bit as he said it, and was promptly shoved off the couch by Rey, who was leaning over Finn’s lap just to accomplish that feat.

 

Laughter was filling the Skywalker basement at ten-thirty PM on a Friday night, with one man on the floor, a man and woman on the couch, and a very confused cat in a lap. All of which were beyond ready to kick some First Order ass the next night.

 

***

The next night came before any of them were ready for it, and simultaneously, while they were all so ready that they thought they may explode if it didn’t just happen already.

 

It was a busy night at D’Qar Tavern. Band Wars was a popular event in Ileenium City, with nearly 30 groups applying each year. In the end, the council chose one returning band who had lost in previous years and one brand new group. This year, the lineup was as follows: the First Order, an emo-punk outfit returning from last year’s competition with a vengeance, and Resistance Space, a ragtag group of a bold, lively bassist, an awkward, warmhearted drummer, and a charismatic, intrepid vocalist.

 

To say the least, it was sure to be an interesting night.

Backstage, the members of Resistance Space could hear the hubbub of the tavern’s customers, everybody talking at once, conversations overlapping in such a way that you could hardly tell one word from another. The live band that was there as a sort of prequel, an opening act, was playing the same song over and over, but nobody seemed to be complaining. There was gentle excitement buzzing outside that was just barely muffled by the brick walls keeping the back of the building from the front. The clock on the wall said 9:15. And Finn was sitting in the corner, head between his knees, while Rey comforted him and Poe sat on the other side, holding his hand.

 

“Finn.” Rey had her hand on his jacket-clad shoulder. “I know. It’s scary, I’m nervous too.”

 

“I know,” Finn mumbled from between his knees.

 

“You’re going to be all right. It may feel hard now, but once you get on that stage, you’ll be in another world. That fear won’t be able to touch you.” She paused. “Come on. I know you don’t know exactly what you’re even afraid of, you’re just afraid, and that’s okay. But you can get past it, I believe that.”

 

Poe, still holding Finn’s trembling hand, had to just look at Rey for a minute. Her empathy, the way she just KNEW how others felt and what they needed to hear, was astounding. Finn had that too, to an extent, but with Rey it was honestly worthy of some kind of empath award. Poe had known Rey for years now, and he found himself hoping, again, that someday he could be a little more like her. Sometimes he would look at his best friend and, for a fleeting moment, see his mother. The thought made him swallow. If only his mother could come see what he and the other two were doing tonight...

 

He shook away the thoughts and turned his attention back to Finn. “Rey’s right, buddy. You’re gonna do so well. You were demolishing that song last night, remember? You can do that again.” He pressed his lips to the top of Finn’s head, leaning back after, and leaning down slightly so he could get more at Finn’s eye level. “I believe in you. You’re the best. I’m the best. And Rey’s the best too.” He leaned back when Finn finally looked up, letting his face curl into a bright smile as he looked at his bandmates. “We are the best!”

 

Rey looked back at him, and within minutes her face (that had barely been betraying her trembling nerves) was turned into a wide grin as well. “We are the best,” she repeated before glancing at Finn. “C’mon, Finn. Say it with us. It’ll help you feel a bit better.”

 

Finn was quiet for a few more seconds, looking at Poe, then at Rey. The boy he loved and would do anything for, and the girl who was the best friend he had ever had, almost a sister to him. And both of them were smiling, and both were touching him ever so gently, and both of them had that glimmer in their eyes that made Finn think, _okay, maybe they are onto something. Maybe, maybe._

 

“We are the best,” he said, feeling himself smile a little as he said it. “We are the best.”

 

At the encouraging looks of the other two, Finn’s heart beat to the tempo of his voice as he said, louder, “We are the best!”

 

And soon, all three of them sat together, grinning wildly, chanting, “We are the best! We are the best!” in a drumlike rhythm, almost like the prelude to a song. “We are the best!” And they knew in their souls it was true. “We are the best!” And they stood up, their collective nerves still there but slowly being overcome by rising excitement. “We are the best! We are the best! We are the best!”

 

And they pulled each other into a group hug just as the opening group was finishing up and the host of the show was standing onstage, behind that brick wall, surrounded by tavern patrons, announcing that Band Wars had begun.

 

The group hug lasted a few more seconds before the three of them pulled apart. Poe quickly pulled Finn back in to kiss him once, twice, three times, then many more times all over his face for good luck, and Rey had to smile slightly at the sight. She turned around, glancing at the clock one more time, somehow able to guess before looking that it was 9:28. They were slated to appear second--the new bands always did. First, it was the returning outfit. Rey listened to the brick-muffled voice of the host, who was introducing judges, explaining rules, explaining prizes, and after a few long minutes of listening to that muffled voice mixed with Poe’s whispers to his boyfriend, she turned to her two friends with a sparkling light behind her eyes.

 

“You wanna go see those emo assholes try to come close to our sick tunes?”

 

Poe and Finn pulled apart from each other, glanced at Rey, then at one another, then back at Rey. The smiles were already on their faces, but now they took on a different air. More ambitious. More mischievous.

 

Of course, the answer is yes.

 

Finn grabbed both of their hands and Rey pulled him and, by extension, Poe to the little wingspace by the side of the little makeshift music stage (really just a half-circle of wood that’s raised just a little above the audience, but it works). The three of them, scrunched together so as not to be seen by the audience, looked out, observing, watching as the three black-clad figures step onto the stage from the opposite end of the backstage area.

 

Kylo was the first to come out, guitar in hand, his paper skin clashing with his charcoal hair in such a way that he almost looked like he had come straight out of a Tim Burton movie. His long black coat almost billowed as he walked in, like some kind of cloak that a malevolent wizard might wear, minus the magic. He had on eyeliner almost as dark as whatever hair dye he used, and he looked out at the audience with the kind of insincere smile someone could get from a cliche TV villain with the emotion in his eyes of the stereotypical “I’m so misunderstood” MySpace kid. Filing in behind him were the red-haired bassist and dusty-blonde drummer, Hux and Phasma. Hux was just as pale as his band’s leader, if not paler, with ice blue eyes that almost looked like they belonged on a reptile as opposed to a man. Phasma was just slightly taller than her two bandmates, and she had the kind of aura of someone who looked outwardly calm and collected but would not hesitate to snap your neck. Her toned arms made her even more intimidating, and it was rumored that if you looked into her eyes for too long, you would melt into the ground, never to be seen or heard from again. The three were certainly a motley crew, and the members of Resistance Space said nothing for a very long time as they looked at their opposing group.

 

“They look,” said Poe finally, “like they were run over on the boulevard of broken dreams.”

 

Rey and Finn probably would have laughed had the statement not been so accurate.

 

Onstage, the mic was set up and the people in black held their instruments at the ready, and the Star Memes quieted down. Kylo Ren stared out into the audience, letting out a slight breath, before leaning up to the mic. “We are the First Order,” he started, looking at the sea of people in the tavern. “And we are here to show you what we can do. We are here to captivate.”

 

Poe had to try his darndest not to laugh at that, but a nudge from Rey reminded him to keep quiet.

 

Kylo turned to look at his band. Hux nodded, and Phasma pushed back her hair with one of the drum sticks. “Are you going to start us off or not?” she asked, looking at Kylo with those impervious blue eyes that could strike fear into the heart of a dragon.

 

Kylo Ren nodded slightly, swallowing a little, and turned back to the mic. “Let’s begin.”

 

The first chord from his guitar was reminiscent of an old Nickelback album that Finn had tried to forget about, and Finn let out a slight sigh. “Here we go,” he murmured, not sure what to expect, but bracing for what he was starting to anticipate.

 

Hux’s fingers moved quickly along the bass’s frets, eyes laser-focused on his hands, almost machine-like with his motions. Every strum of the strings was accurate to the merest detail, and for a moment the collective stomach of the three watching backstage dropped. They..weren’t terrible, it seemed, or at least they could actually play their instruments. Finn tried not to let his conviction that he and his counterparts were the best waver. Sure, the First Order played well. But Resistance Space, he thought, had passion. He didn’t even mind how much that sounded like the last episode of an uplifting anime. He kept it in his mind, to keep himself believing it.

 

Kylo played some slow, almost haunting chords on his guitar, filling the tavern with the kind of strange fear you feel when you’re alone in your own dark house at midnight, unable to sleep. His eyes were trained on his shoes before lifting up to look at the mic. He leaned in and his voice slowly began singing the words to the song.

 

“Show me,” he murmured, almost indecipherably, “the power of the darkness.”

 

With that, his hands suddenly slammed on the guitar, Hux’s fingers speeding up, Phasma beginning to bang-bang-bang on the drums in such a way that she looked as though she might accidentally drum holes into them. The song sped up and crescendoed into a cacophony so extreme that the three backstage were sure it could have been heard by extraterrestrials in a galaxy far, far away. For a moment Poe had flashbacks to a high school phase that he had erased from his memory.

 

 _“Show me the power of the darkness!”_ Kylo repeated, but this time he was almost screaming it, and his face looked all at once concentrated and angry and fairly sweaty. His dark hair hung around his face like a cloak for his head, for a moment reminding Rey of how Severus Snape was described in the first _Harry Potter_ novel. And the three backstage were staring, wide-eyed, not expecting something this intense, but at the same time, certainly not surprised.

 

Kylo Ren hadn’t stopped. The First Order was still playing, their volume still threatening the eardrums of everybody in the vicinity, still slamming down notes in a way that was almost unnerving. “I will fulfill our destiny,” he sang, a little less scream-y, but still with that aura about it of anger and loudness, and the weird vibes from the words made Finn almost shiver.

 

“What the hell kind of emo shit…?” murmured Poe under his breath before being nudged into silence by Finn.

 

Kylo played a few more loud chords before leaning into the mic, beginning to scream again. _“It’s too late! I’m being torn apart!”_ He dragged out “apart” like it was the last word he would have screamed while falling off a cliff. _“I want to be free of this pain!”_

 

Hux played even louder and faster, somehow, and Phasma seemed to be throwing her entire body into the drumsticks, pounding on the drums so ferociously that Finn felt legitimate fear coursing through him as he watched. Kylo was still screaming-- _“I know what I have to do, but I don’t know if I have the strength to do iiiiiiit!”_ \--and the D’Qar Tavern seemed to be in the same kind of shock as the trio backstage.

 

The loudness of the music stopped for a split second as Kylo leaned in closer to the microphone and, lowering his voice, sang, “Will you help me?”

 

Immediately the volume kicked back in, and Rey was really, really not sure if she would still have her sense of hearing by the time this was over.

 

The song lasted maybe three and a half minutes. Three and a half minutes of screaming, very fast fingers, and drumsticks that would probably break soon if Phasma kept treating them like that. When the performance was finally over, Kylo screamed the last line-- _“Your son is gooooone!!!”_ \-- and promptly dropped his head, stepping back, and lightly hitting his ribcage with his loose fist three times. It seemed like the whole of Ileenium City was in stunned silence.

 

The First Order glanced at one another, and Kylo nodded to them, a signal. The three of them bowed, and the audience seemed to remember to applaud. Clapping, however tentative and confused, filled the tavern. Audience members looked at each other, then the band. A few of the younger folk in the front applauded more enthusiastically, and Kylo gave a small sigh as he looked back at his group. “Thank you,” he said into the mic before going offstage, Phasma and Hux following him, the three disappearing into the shadows of behind the door to the stage area.

 

Poe was quiet before looking at his two companions. “Well…” he started off, “they weren’t _bad_.”

 

It was the truth; they weren’t bad, just...well. Surprising, maybe, was the word (though the music really wasn’t all that surprising, knowing Kylo and his not-quite-finished emo phase). And, okay, maybe the music wasn’t stellar. But they weren’t terrible. And Finn was now looking at his bandmates, blinking, knowing that they would be amazing but trying hard to see their faith in him. He looked at his companions in a way that he wasn’t sure he had ever looked at them before.

 

First came Rey, freckled and determined, wearing old jeans and a t-shirt she had cut the sleeves off of, looking out onto the stage area while the tavern workers cleaned it up, prepping for the arrival of Resistance Space. She noticed Finn looking at her after a few moments, and turned to look at him. For a moment she seemed about to say something, but she ended up just smiling and patting his shoulder in the way that told him without words that it would be okay. He could almost hear her voice in his mind. _We are the best,_ it said. _I believe that._

 

And then he turned his head to see Poe. Poe, the man holding his hand, the man who loved him, the man who he loved as well. The man in the black leather jacket and the dark grey jeans with the sparkling brown eyes that were looking right at Finn. Finn wasn’t sure how long Poe had been looking at him, but he certainly didn’t mind however long it had been. His boyfriend’s mouth quirked into a little smile, his head tilting to the side a bit, just gently biting down on his lower lip. He almost looked like he might say something, but instead he just leaned over, kissed Finn’s cheek, and then gave him a look similar to the one Rey had given. _You’re gonna kill it, bud!_ said the voice in Finn’s mind. _We are the best, don’t forget it._

 

And Finn resolved to himself in that moment that he wouldn’t forget it.

 

“We are the best,” he found himself saying, quiet, under his breath.

 

Rey and Poe both looked at him, then at each other. Soon, Poe was pulling his boyfriend and best friend into a group hug, his lips pressing ever so briefly to Finn’s forehead, murmuring “We are the best” as he hugged the two close. “Say it with me, guys. For good luck. We are the best.”

 

“We are the best,” Rey added in, her voice steady with only the slightest hint of nervousness. “We are the best; Finn, Poe, we are the best, we are the best.” She let out a slight sigh; steadying her breath, centering herself. “We are the best.”

 

“We are the best.”

 

A beat of quiet.

 

“We are the best.”

 

Another beat.

 

“We are the best.”

 

The voice on the stage spoke again. “And now, the contenders. A new young independent group from right here in Ileenium City, please welcome to the D’Qar Tavern stage: Resistance Space!”

 

Preliminary applause broke out in the audience, and the group backstage slowly broke apart, looking at each other, nervous, excited, ready. Poe and Finn glanced at each other and simultaneously pulled each other in for a final “good luck” kiss on the lips, Rey making a mock sick face before chuckling and whispering, “Come on, guys, get out those last bits of love, we need to play that funky music.”

 

The three stepped onstage, led by Rey, followed by Finn and Poe, instruments in hand, excitement beginning to overcome nerves. The lights of the tavern were only blinding for a millisecond, and the three looked at the expectant crowd. Poe looked at Rey, then at Finn, the other two following suit. The unspoken words-- _we are the best_ \--floated through the air, through their heads, as they set up their instruments. And they all nodded at the same time, and smiled, as if hearing it.

 

_We are the best._

 

Poe burst into a full grin and went to his place at the mic, hands on his guitar, ready to begin. “Gooood evening, Ileenium City!” he said, grinning, and the audience let out a few quiet cheers in response. “We are Resistance Space, and we wanna ask…” He looked back at Finn, sitting at the drums, and Rey, standing with her bass, and a sudden excitement coursed through his body and showed itself on his face as he turned back to the crowd. “Are you ready to have some fun tonight??”

 

He played a chord on the guitar, and the audience let out some more soft cheers, still in slight shock from the previous performance but preparing themselves for what lay ahead. And Poe was grinning, and Rey was smiling, and Finn was beginning to shine with anticipation.

 

Poe leaned back in towards the mic, lightly biting his lip as he smiled, feeling almost as though he were floating. “All right!! This is a cover of a song some of you might know...So, if you know the words, you know what to do!” He smiled broadly at the crowd as he began to tap the back of his heel against the ground. “One! Two! One, two, three!”

 

Poe started strumming out chords, biting the inside of his lower lip slightly, bouncing a little to the beat, feeling the music in his chest and Rey’s beginning of a bass line surrounding it. Rey was moving her fingers almost automatically, still smiling like she had just gotten amazing news, looking at her hands, then at the drummer, then the vocalist. Finn, the aforementioned drummer, kept his focus tightly on the drums despite not yet coming into the song, but every so often his eyes wandered, and the beat stayed aligned, and the song continued, and his heart beat in time to Poe’s voice as he began to sing.

 

 _“When I wake up, well, I know I’m gonna be,”_ Poe sang out, still smiling, _“I’m gonna be the man who wakes up next to you…”_

 

_We are the best._

 

 _“When I go out,”_ Poe’s words continued, the crowd beginning to realize what song it was, _“well, I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who goes along with you!”_

 

Poe was almost bouncing, excitement starting to course through his blood like it had been born in his heart, and Rey felt her body doing the same, and Finn was starting to feel similar. It was replacing the nerves; or maybe the nerves were just transforming? He raised the drum sticks, his eyes focused on Poe, then on Rey, who briefly turned and smiled to him. And that was all Finn needed. And he began to play.

 

You know that zone you get in when you’re doing something you really love? How when a writer or artist gets into their creative groove, the art just flows from them almost effortlessly? How when a vocalist is really feeling the soul of the song, they’re not even really there, just kind of floating while they hit every note? How when an actor is onstage, they truly become the character, leaving all their memories and selfhood behind, becoming unrecognizable as themselves onstage only to transform into their true self again once the show’s over?

 

That was how every member of Resistance Space was beginning to feel. Weightless. Levitating. Almost like this was a very, very good dream.

 

But it was not a dream. And they were very much here, on the ground, alive, playing their music.

 

 _“But I would walk five hundred miles!”_ Poe was singing when Rey found herself nodding her head, feeling full of light, glowing from within. She registered that the audience was beginning to sing along, and since her hands were beginning to move with their own minds, she found herself doing the same. _“And I would walk five hundred more!”_

 

Her smile was rivaling Poe’s as he continued on the chorus, joined by more and more tavern patrons. _“Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door!”_ His voice sounded like how hot chocolate tasted and his soul felt like an eagle, soaring, thousands of feet above the ground, and for a fleeting second, as he looked back and saw Finn on the drums, playing like he had never played before, he could have sworn he was flying.

 

Energy was pumping through the room and surging in time to the music as the song went on, the excitement increasing almost exponentially with every beat of the drum, every strum of a string. God, it was like the music was physically filling the room--glowing, almost, like light poured out of every note. They all felt it. Whatever gloom and tension had filled the tavern before was gone.

 

Rey barely heard herself murmuring “We are the best” before breaking into singing the backup part.

 

The song flowed through the building and outside the doors. The music quieted after blasting along at lightspeed, just slowing a little, enough to bring Poe into the third verse. _“When I’m lonely,”_ he sang, opening his brown eyes that had been closed for the past chorus, _“well, I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who’s lonely without you…”_

 

The audience quieted too, knowing what was to come. The silence wasn’t tense. It was full of rapt anticipation.

 

_“When I’m dreaming, well, I know I’m gonna dream, I’m gonna dream about the time that I’m with you…”_

_Pmm-pmm-pmm--_

_“When I go out, well, I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the one who goes along with you!”_

 

It was difficult to tell which voice was Poe’s, what with all of the audience singing along, but Poe still cut through all the background sound and Rey was right there behind him as the backup vocals. It was all clear to Finn who was who, and even as he looked up from his drums, the beat stayed in time. His hands moved on their own, like some supernatural force guided them. Rey’s fingers moved in the same way, Poe’s doing nearly the same. And, though the music was all that was on their minds, a small voice seemed to be whispering there as well, guiding them. _We are the best._

_“And when I come home, yes, I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who comes back home with you,”_ Poe sang, the smile on his face apparent in his voice. _“I'm gonna be the man who's coming home with you!”_

 

The entire tavern held their breath in the beats before the chorus.

 

And when the final chorus began, everybody was singing in time, some audience members off-key, some on-key, Poe leading them with his brown eyes glittering. Even the judges were nodding their heads, Rey noticed, and she glanced quickly back down at her bass, making sure every finger was on the right fret, even though she already knew that they were. She was absorbing the energy, or was she creating some of it? She couldn’t quite tell, and the less she thought about it, the more she found that she didn’t care. The energy filled her, and it filled Poe, and it filled Finn. They all could have sworn the room was brighter than it had been when they walked onstage.

 

_“Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your doo-oo-oor!!”_

 

Poe finished the last note and played one final chord before looking out into the audience, throwing his arms into the air triumphantly.

 

And the crowd cheered with the same energy that the band had felt while playing, and the glow in the room did not subside.

 

It was only after the song was over that Resistance Space began to feel their sweat, feel their lungs trying to catch breaths that had been lost to their music. And they didn’t even care. It was good exhaustion, and as Rey and Finn exchanged a glance with each other, then with Poe, they knew. They knew that they were the best.

 

“Thank you so much, everyone!” Poe was beaming, his voice vivacious and strong. “Have a great night!”

 

And Resistance Space was offstage again, waiting for the judges to decide.

 

The moment they got backstage Finn threw his arms around the other two, the energy from the performance still tingling in his veins and on his skin. Or maybe that was the sweat. He didn’t really care at this point. Rey and Poe grinned at one another, then at Finn, and hugged back. Not a word needed to be said at that point in time. It was already known throughout the three of them that they had done the damn best they could.

 

“We killed it, guys,” said Poe, leaning into the other two, his lopsided smile somehow still charming even with sweat glistening around it. “We absolutely killed it.”

 

“I know.” Rey hugged the two boys tighter, letting out a little giggle before leaning up, undoing the group hug, and looking at her two best friends.

 

“Hell yeah.” Finn’s sunshine smile was on again, and he couldn’t seem to decide whether he wanted to look at Poe or Rey more. All three of them were nearly vibrating.

 

Poe reached out for Finn’s hand, and Finn caught it without even looking, turning to his boyfriend, who was still sporting that characteristic Poe smile--more specifically, his “my god, you are handsome when we’ve just finished a gig” smile. The two leaned closer to one another, small laughs bubbling behind their mouths, and Finn quickly glanced over at Rey. Poe followed suit, and Rey looked back at them before giving a playful sigh.

 

“All right,” she said, rolling her twinkling eyes without losing her grin. “Kiss each other as much as you need to.”

 

And the young men most certainly did kiss each other. Rey had to let out just a little fond chuckle at the sight before glancing at the clock again. 9:50. Almost time for the winner to be announced.

 

Finn and Poe kissed each other some more, both holding on to the other’s jacket, their kiss seeming to be fueled by the adrenaline of the show. Hands moved from chests to necks to shoulders to faces, and the lip presses were gentle, foreheads just almost brushing. Thirty seconds passed, then forty. Eventually they relaxed and pulled away from each other, giggling, Rey watching them with a smug expression.

 

“You good?”

 

Finn smiled sheepishly. “Yeah.”

 

There were a few hollow seconds before the sound of “Will the contestants please join us onstage!” filled the backstage area with anticipation again.

 

Poe locked his eyes on his bandmates. “We’re gonna do this.”

 

There was no response, just a nod from Rey and a smile from Finn that indicated a “Yeah”.

 

Hot lights beat down on the three as they entered the stage area, standing to the right of the First Order. Rey wondered how they could stand being in this hot tavern wearing all black.

 

“Can we get a round of applause for our two contestants, the First Order and Resistance Space?”

 

Applause filled D’Qar Tavern again, echoing minutes ago when Resistance Space had finished their set. It was loud and it was raucous and Finn felt his stomach in his throat and Poe grabbed the hands of the other two, smiling out into the audience and nodding “thank you”s. The First Order stood silent. Kylo Ren was the only one to give any indication of enjoying the applause.

 

The emcee motioned for the audience to quiet down, and the clapping soon faded into a tense quiet. “Now,” she said, looking at the two groups, “the judges thought you were both phenomenal. First Order, they admired your commitment and songwriting. It was a very unique experience.”

 

Kylo nodded to her. “Thank you,” he murmured, or maybe that was an “Of course”.

 

The emcee turned to Resistance Space. “And Resistance Space, the audience loved your camaraderie and ability to have fun onstage. Your energy seemed to fill the whole place.”

 

“Thank you very much,” said Rey, which was soon echoed by Finn and Poe.

 

The emcee smiled before turning to the audience. “However, there can only be one winner. Judges, will you please pass me the envelope?”

 

A white envelope was passed along to the stage, where the emcee leaned down to grab it in her right hand and open it as she leaned up back towards the microphone.

 

_We are the best._

 

The D’Qar Tavern held its breath.

 

“And the winner of the eighth annual Band Wars competition is…”

 

_Pmm. Pmm. Pmm._

 

“...Resistance Space!”


End file.
